Packaging of flexible containers



June W6? R. A. KRZYZANOWSKE PACKAGING OF FLEXIBLE CONTAI NERS 4 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed June 30, 1964 INVENTOR ROBERT A. KRZYZANOWSKI BY flwydw ATTOR NEY June 19557 R. A. KRzYzANm/vsm 3,323fi39 PACKAGING OF FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 30, 1964 BNVENTOR ROBERT A. KRZYZANOWSKI ATTORNEY J1me 1967 R. A. KRZYZANOWSKI 3,323fi39 PACKAGING OI FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS Filed June 50, 1964 4 Sheets-$heet 5 INVENTOR ROBERT A. KRZYZANQWSKI AT TORNEV June 1957 R. A. KRZYZANOWSK! 3,323,639

PACKAGING OF FLEXIBLE CONTAlNERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 30, 1964 INVENTOR ROBERT A. KRZYZANDWSKI ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,323,639 PACKAGING OF FLEXIBLE CONTAINERS Robert A. Krzyzanowski, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Milprint, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 30, 1964, Ser. No. 379,275 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates generally to the art of packaging and, more specifically, to a package including an inner sealed pouch or envelope enclosing a body of any desired commodity and a carton which is constructed to hold the pouch in a fixed position without the use of glue, adhesive, heat seal seams, etc. In still more specific aspects, this invention relates to carton constructions having foldable structural members on some of the Walls, Which members are adapted to hold the inner package in the desired position, and to a number of blank configurations which can be folded into the desired cartons.

Many types of commodities, particularly foods, are presently packaged in envelopes or pouches of flexible sheet packaging material. Typical film materials include cellophane with a selected scalable coating, rubber hydrochloride films, vinyl chloride polymeric films, sheets of saran polymers and copolymers, and other scalable, flexible sheets including laminated materials. The pack ages are typically formed by vacuum packaging methods in which the interior of the pouch is evacuated or by gasfilled methods in which the air in the pouch interior is displaced by an inert gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and mixtures of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Filled pouches of this general type may be formed by inserting the commodity into separate pouches in the final size and evacuating or displacing the air and then sealing the pouch in the desired manner to enclose the commodity, or by folding a sheet of the flexible material into a continuous tube about the article to be packaged and then sealing the tube to form the pouch in the final desired size after the air is suitably evacuated or displaced and severing the sealed portions of the tube into the final pouch, the latter being the method generally used in automatic or semi-automatic packaging machines for forming an inner package of the type comprehended by the present invention. One of the disadvantages of pouches of the type described above is that the filled package is quite flexible and easily deformable so that it presents an unattractive appearance having minimum sales appeal and often requires support for safe handling without damage to the goods. For these reasons, several different systems for reinforcing a flexible filled pouch of this nature have developed in the prior art.

One of the prior art solutions to the problem of handling a flexible or easily distorted sealed pouch carrying a body of commodity has been to place the filled pouch on a board, of paperboard or other suitable material, and then adhesively join the pouch to the board so that the latter will support the pouch. The pouch may be joined to the boar-d by means of a heat seal seam, or other suitable adhesives. Some constructions utilize a foldertype holder having a top member hinged to a bottom member in which the filled pouch is inserted between the two and the bottom member is then heat sealed to selected areas of the bottom of the pouch and the top member is also heat sealed to selected areas of the top of the pouch. Either of these systems requires the use of extra heat sealing apparatus or other type of bonding equipment for joining the pouch to the supporting board and generally requires the destruction of the pouch and/ or supporting board when the package is open.

Another prior art solution to the problem of handling flexible filled pouches of commodities is to place the filled pouch on a tray or similar type of carton having an open top and then overwrap the tray with a sheet of transparent material. This method has the disadvantage of requiring additional equipment to overwrap the filled tray as well as the disadvantage of requiring additional material for the overwrap film itself.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a carton that holds an inner package including a pouch of flexible material surrounding a body of a commodity in a relatively fixed position without the use of adhesives and/or without the use of overwrap material. Another object is to provide a combination package including a carton and an inner package held therein without adhesives or overwrap.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tray carton for holding filled flexible packages by means of foldable members on the carton which may be positioned to hold portions of the package in position with respect to the tray. Another object of this invention is to provide a carton including a pair of opposed upstanding walls that have foldable members adapted to be folded inwardly and positioned with respect to portions of an inner package formed of flexible material filled with a commodity so as to hold the inner package in position with respect to the tray container. Another specific object of this invention is to provide various forms of blanks of suitable material which are cut and scored so as to be assembled into a carton having foldable members adapted to engage portions of an inner package placed in the carton for holding the same. A still more specific object is to provide blanks of various constructions for erection into cartons of the present invention which have members that look together, or can be joined to other carton panels, along or to the bottom of the carton or along or to an end wall panel of the carton, so as to hold end wall panels of the carton upright and place foldable members joined to the end wall panels in an operative position for engaging an inner package in the carton.

Briefly stated, this invention provides a novel carton for carrying an inner package of known form, wherein the carton includes foldable members hinged to upstanding wall panels joined to a main panel and the inner package is arranged on the main panel of the carton in such a manner that projecting portions of the inner package are folded along the upstanding wall panels of the carton and the foldable members are positioned between the projecting portions of the inner package and the body of commodity therein to hold the inner package in place with respect to the carton.

The above mentioned and other more specific objects will appear in the description which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there are shown, by way of illustration, several specific forms in which this invention may be practiced. These will be described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this invention, but it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention may be used and structural changes in the embodiments described may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true scope of the present invention. The scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claims and limitations set forth in the following detailed description need not be taken in a limiting sense.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a type of inner package suitable for use in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carton constructed in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the package of FIG. I initially inserted in the carton of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane of line 3 4-4 in FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing the package of FIG. 3 in a final condition wherein the inner package is held in place in the carton according to this invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the package shown in FIG. 5, taken along the plane of line 6-6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but of a combination package using an inner pouch of a slightly different construction than that in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a paperboard blank that may be assembled into the carton of FIGS. 1-7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 8 in an erected condition;

FIG. 10 is a top view of a second form of paperboard blank for a carton in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 10 in an erected position;

FIG. 12 is a top view of a third form of paperboard blank for a carton in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 12 in an erected condition;

FIG. 14 is a top view of a fourth form of paperboard blank for a carton in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 14 in an erected condition;

FIG. 16 is a top view of another form of paperboard blank for a carton in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 16 in an erected condition;

FIG. 18 is a top view of still another form of paperboard blank for a carton in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 19 is a perspective View of the blank of FIG. 18 in an erected condition.

FIG. 1 illustrates a form of an inner package of the type useful in the present invention. The inner package includes a pouch 1 of flexible, transparent packaging sheet material enclosing a stack 2 of a commodity, herein illustrated as frankfurters. The pouch 1 can be made by folding over a sheet of material to bring the longitudinal side edges into contact and then sealing them together along a longitudinal seam 3 to form a tube into which the stack of commodity is inserted. Closure of the pouch is completed by forming transverse seams 4 and 5 to close the ends adjacent a commodity. The seams 3, 4 and 5 can be of any suitable type, such as adhesive seams, heatseal seams, etc. and the material used in the manufacture of the pouch 1 can be of any suitable flexible packaging material of either plastic or cellulosic material or foil and may be a single layer mono-film, coated film, or a laminated film of two or more similar or dissimilar layers. The inner package as thusby described is of a conventional flanges 6 and 7 extending from two opposed sides thereof, which flanges are located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the package as shown in FIG. 1. The inner package as thusly described is of a conventional form well-known in the packaging art. As mentioned previously, it may be manufactured by any suitable packaging method such as vacuum packaging and gas-filled packaging techniques wherein the pouch tightly conforms to the body of commodity, although the inner package can also be made in other ways.

FIG. 2 illustrates a carton 8 constructed in accordance with the present invention for use in holding the inner package shown in FIG. 1. The carton is depicted in the form of a tray and will be variously referred to as a tray or carton. The tray 8 includes a main panel 9, a first wall panel or end wall 10 hinged to the main panel along a fold line 11, and a second wall panel or end wall 12 hinged to the main panel 9 along a fold line 13. The fold line 13 is parallel to and spaced from the fold line 11. Short side walls 14 and 15 are hinged to opposite ends of the end wall 10 by suitable fold lines and joined to the underside of the main panel 9 in order to hold the end wall 10 erect. In a similar fashion, short side walls 16 and 17 are hinged to opposite ends of the end Wall panel 12 by suitable fold lines and joined to the underside of the main panel 9 to hold the end wall 12 in an erect condition. (The construction of the tray 8 will be described in greater detail in reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 hereinbelow.)

A foldable member 18 is hingedly connected to the end wall 10 along a fold line 19 and, at the opposite end of the carton, a second foldable member 20 is hingedly connected to the end wall 12 along a fold line 21. The fold lines 19 and 21 are parallel to and spaced from the fold lines 11 and 13 respectively. The foldable members 18 and 20 may be formed as flaps or extensions of their respective end walls and are to be foldable or rotatable toward the interior of the carton about their respective fold lines. The two foldable members 18 and 20 are adapted to be positioned in a novel manner in relation to the inner package to be placed on the tray 8 so as to retain the package on the tray in accordance with this invention.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the inner package illustrated in FIG. 1 is placed inside the tray 3 shown in FIG. 2 with the pouch 1 arranged on the main panel 9 of the tray and with the flanges 6 and 7 folded upwardly along the end walls 10 and 12 respectively. Thus, flange 6 lies along the end wall 10 of the tray 8 and flange 7 lies along the end wall 12 of the tray 8, and both flanges are folded upwardly so that their upper edge is at approximately the same height as the fold lines 19 and 21 on the end walls 10 and 12 respectively. This condition is further more clearly illustrated in the sectional view shown in FIG. 4. It should further be noted that the size of the inner package in relation to the size of the tray is such that there is a small space between each flange and its adjacent end of the body of commodity in the pouch; these spaces are shown in FIG. 4 as space 22 between the upturned flange 6 and its adjacent end 23 of the body of commodity and the space 24 between the upturned flange 7 and its adjacent end 25 of the stack of commodity.

Referring now to FIG. 5, after the inner package is inserted in the tray as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the foldable member 18 is folded about its fold line 19 so as to be positioned in the space 22 between the upturned flange 6 of the inner package and the end 23 of the body of commodity. At the other end of the carton, the foldable member 20 is similarly hinged about its fold line 21 so as to be positioned in the space 24 between the upturned flange 7 of the inner package and the end 25 of the body of commodity. This condition is more clearly shown in the sectional view of FIG. 6 and it can be seen that the foldable members 18 and 20 serve to hold the flanges 7 of the inner package against the end walls 16 and 12 of the carton. Additionally, the ends 23 and 25 of the stack of commodity in the inner package bear against the foldable members 18 and 20 and urge them in this condition. This positioning of the foldable members 18 and 20 in relation to the inner package serves to hold the inner package in place on the tray 8. It has been found that the inner package will be held sufliciently firmly in place so as to permit the combination package to be readily handled without dislodging the inner package. At the same time, the inner package is readily visible and can be easily removed from the carton when it is desired to use its contents. The inner package is held in this position with respect to the tray without the use of any adhesives, heat-seal seams, fasteners, or any other type of joinder means. This locking action of the inner package with respect to the tray is a unique contribution of the present invention.

The inner package shown in FIGS l6 has flanges located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the package. However, the trays of the present invention also can be used with inner packages having the end flanges located in other positions. As is illustrated in FIG. 7, the pouch 1a of the inner package has flanges 6a and 7a at two of its sides which extend from the bottom of the pouch instead of from the mid-point as was shown in the previous drawings. When the package is inserted in the tray, the flanges 6a and 7a are bent up- Wardly in the same manner as flanges 6 and 7. The foldable members 18a and 2001 are hinged to the upstanding walls 10 and 12 of the tray 8 and can be somewhat longer than the corresponding foldable members 18 and 20 so that when they are folded into the final condition, they can extend nearly to the bottom of the inner package.

FIG. 8 illustrates a blank suitable for forming the tray 8 shown in the preceding drawings. The blank may be made from a sheet of paperboard, or other suitable flexible and relatively stiff material, which is cut and scored to define the various panels, flaps, etc. As indicated, the first wall panel or end wall 10 is hinged to the main panel 9 along fold line 11, side wall 14 is hinged to one end of the end wall 10 along fold line 30, side wall 15 is hinged to the opposite end of the end wall 10 along fold line 31, and foldable member 18 is hinged to one edge of the end wall 10 along fold line 19. A bottom flap 32 is hinged to side wall 14 along fold line 33 and a bottom flap 34 is hinged to side wall 15 along fold line 35. Fold line 19 is parallel to fold line 11, fold lines 33 and 35 may be formed as extensions of the fold line 11 when the blank is manufactured, and fold lines 30 and 31 are at an angle to fold line 11 (which may be a 90 angle when it is desired to form a carton with vertical end walls). At the opposite end of the blank, fold line 13 extends across the first main panel to define the second wall panel or end wall 12, foldable member is hinged to end wall 12 along fold line 21, side wall 16 is hinged to end wall 12 along fold line 36, and side wall 17 is hinged to end wall 12 along fold line 37. A bottom locking flap 38 is hinged to side wall 16 along fold line 39 and bottom locking flap along fold line 41. The spatial relationship of the various fold lines is the same as the corresponding fold lines at the opposite end. The bottom locking flaps 32, 34, 38 and 40 are separated from the main panel 9 by cut lines 42 so that there is no connection between the bottom locking flaps and the main panel, and the fold lines 32, 34, 39 and 41 are the only connection between the locking flaps and the blank.

FIG. 9 shows the blank of FIG. 8 in its erected condition with the bottom of the main panel 9 exposed in order to illustrate the joinder of the panels thereto. When assembled, end walls 10 and 12 are folded upwardly from the main panel 9 about their respective fold lines to an upright position, and side walls 14, 15, 16 and 17 are folded to lie along the sides of the main panel at an angle to the end walls. After this, the bottom locking flaps 32, 34, 38 and 40 are folded about their respective fold lines connecting them to the side walls so that they abut the underside of the main panel 9. In this form of the blank now illustrated, the bottom locking flaps can be joined in any way to the underside of the main panel, as by gluing or other suitable means. When aflixed to the main panel, the bottom locking tabs hold the end and side walls in their upright position. If desired, the bottom locking flaps may also be joined to the upper surface of the main panel instead of to the underside as shown.

FIGS. 10 through 19 illustrate several other forms of blanks suitable for the practice of the present invention. The carton shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 includes bottom locking flaps hinged to side Walls that are hinged to the end walls, wherein the locking flaps are joined to the bottom of the main panel when the carton is erected. The carton of FIGS. 10 and 11 also includes bottom locking flaps hinged to side walls hinged to the end walls, but the locking flaps are joined to each other along the bottom of the carton when it is assembled. The invention can also be used with cartons in which the side walls are hinged to;

40 is hinged to side wall 17 the main panel instead of the end walls; preferably, a locking tongue/ slit combination interlock is used with this form of carton in which one of the elements is on or in the side wall and the other on or in the end wall. One such carton is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 as having locking tongues hinged to the end walls and cooperative slits defined in the side walls and a second carton is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 as having locking tongues hinged to the side walls and cooperative slits defined in the end walls. Another positioning of the locking panels relative to the rest of the carton is shown in FIGS. 16l9, which depict cartons that utilize side walls hinged to the main panel and locking flaps hinged to the side walls in such a manner as to be positioned along the end walls when the carton is erected; thus, in this form, no locking flaps or panels are joined to the end walls except for the foldable members 18 and 20. In the blank of FIGS. 16 and 17, the locking panels are joined to the end walls to assemble the carton and in the blank of FIGS. 18 and 19, each pair of locking flaps is joined to each other along the end walls. As far as possible, the reference numerals used with respect to the form shown in FIGS. 1-9 will be used to denote similar structural elements in the following embodiments.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, a blank 45 is illustrated which is cut and scored to define the various panels and which includes bottom locking flaps that are joined together by locking means so that no adhesive or other bonding agent is required to hold the tray in its assembled condition. For this purpose, bottom locking flap 46 is hinged to side wall 14 along fold line 33 and bottom locking flap 47 is hinged to side wall 15 along fold line 35. At the other end of the carton, bottom locking flap 48 is hinged to side wall 16 along fold line 39 and bottom locking flap 49 is hinged to side wall 17 along fold line 41. The bottom locking flaps are separated from the sides of the main panel 9 by cut lines 42 so that told lines 33, 35, 39 and 41 are their only connection with the rest of the blank. Each locking flap has a slit 50 extending from One of its edges inwardly approximately half the width of the flap. As indicated, the slits 50 extend from an outer edge of the locking flaps 46 and 49, and from an inner edge of the flaps 47 and 48. Turning now to FIG. 11, to assemble the tray, the end walls and side walls are erected, and the bottom locking flaps swung underneath the main panel 9 so that the slit 50 on the flap 46 can engage the slit 50 on flap 47 and the slit St) on flap 48 can engage the slit 50 on flap 49. When thusly engaged, the respective pairs of bottom locking flaps are interlocked with one another so as to hold the end and side walls of the tray erect. As indicated in the drawings, the leading edge of the slits 50 in the flaps 47 and 48 can be chamfered as at 51 in order to facilitate the locking engagement of the edge locks. In this carton, blank material ordinarily used for side walls in a carton is used for the bottom locking flaps, thereby enabling the blank to be made from a minimum amount of material.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a blank 55 for use as a carton in accordance with the present invention wherein four side walls 56 are hinged along fold lines 57 to the main panel 9 near each corner thereof. Locking flaps 58 are hinged to each end of the end walls along fold lines 38, 31, 36 and 37 and a locking tongue 59 is defined in the outer portion of each locking flap. A slit 60 is formed in each side wall 56 and includes a vertical cut 61 connected with a straight line cut 62 angled away from the side wall, and an arcuate terminal cut 63 angled toward a fold line 57. When the carton is erected as shown in FIG. 13, the side walls 56 and end walls 10 and 12 are folded to an upright position and the locking flaps 58 are folded over the side Walls so that each tongue 59 can enter a slit 60 and engage a portion thereof to form a corner interlock. When the tip of the locking tongues 59 have been inserted completely through the slits, they lie on the interior of the carton and hold the respective walls upright to maintain the carton in its assembled condition.

In the blank 65 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, locking flaps 58 are hinged along short fold lines 70 to side walls 66 and 67 that are hinged to opposite sides of the main panel 9 along fold lines 68 and 69 respectively. A locking slit 61) is formed in the end walls 10 and 12 and a locking tongue 59 is defined in each flap 58. When the blank is assembled as in FIG. 15, the tongues 59 enter the slits 60 to hold the end and side walls upright. The side walls 66 and 67 extend entirely across the sides of the main panel, although this form of the carton can also be made with the partial side walls 56 of the type shown in FIGS. 12 and 13; conversely, the carton 55 of FIGS. 12 and 13 can also be made with the full side walls 66 and 67. The partial side walls give greater visibility of the inner package whereas the full side walls give increased rigidity to the package.

The blank 75 of FIGS. 16 and 17 is formed to include locking flaps 76 hinged to side walls 56 along fold line 77. The locking flaps 76 are separated from the end walls 10 and 12 by cut lines 78. To erect the carton, the end and side walls are folded to an upright position about fold lines 11, 13 and 57, and the locking flaps 76 are folded about fold lines 77 to lie against the end walls 10 and 12 to which they are joined by any suitable means such as adhesive, heat sealing, etc. The flaps 76 can also be joined to the inside of the end walls instead of to the outside as shown. The blank 80 of FIGS. 18 and 19 has locking flaps 81 joined along fold lines 82 to side walls 56 that are hinged to the main panel 9 along fold lines 57. Slits 83 are cut in two of the locking flaps on one side of the main panel to extend from an inner edge (i.e. with respect to the end wall) inwardly about one-half the width of the flaps, and slits 84 are cut in the two locking flaps on the other side of the main panel to extend from the outer edge of the locking flaps about one-half of the width of the flaps. When the end and side walls are folded upright, the locking flaps are folded about fold lines 82 so that two flaps are in a position along each end wall; then, a slit 81 is inserted into a slit 84 to lock each pair of flaps together and hold the carton upright. Each slit may be chamfered as at 85 to facilitate the engagement of one slit with the other. In the cartons of FIGS. 16-19, the positioning of the locking flaps lend support to the upright end walls of the erected carton, which can be a useful advantage with some types of commodities that may be packed in the inner package.

All of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings include a foldable member 18 hinged to one wall of the carton and a foldable member 20 hinged to the opposite wall, which foldable members 18 and 28 are adapted to be folded over to a position between an upturned flange extending from an inner package and the end of the body of commodity enclosed in the inner package as was described in detail with reference to the form shown in FIGS. 1-9. The foldable members 18 and 20 can be of shapes other than those shown in the drawings herein and may be varied both as to width and length and still be useful in the practice of the present invention.

There has thus been provided a carton for use with an inner package of the type including a flexible pouch enclosing a commodity wherein the inner package is supported on a main panel of the carton and upright wall panels thereof have hinged foldable members that are adapted to be folded over to a position between a flange projecting from the inner package and the body of the commodity so as to hold the inner package in a relatively fixed position. No adhesives, either glue or heat seal, or over-wrap material are required to hold the inner package in place with this invention, unlike the prior art carton or support devices for holding inner packages of the subject type. The invention has been shown to be workable with cartons and inner packages of various constru-ctions and several blanks suitable for erection into cartons of the specified type have been described. It is to be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of this invention herein chosen for the purposes of illustration which do not constitute a departure from the spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. For combination with an inner package of the type including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the pouch, and improved carton for holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding Wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a second fold line at the opposite side from the first wall panel;

said carton also including side wall panels extending at an angle to the first and second wall panels and arranged along the sides of the main panel, there being at least one side wall panel along each side of the main panel to provide side wall panel portions adjacent each end of the first and second Wall panels, and means for holding each such side wall panel portion in an upstanding position relative to the main panel and concurrently support the first and second Wall panels in an upstanding position relative to the main panel;

a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first Wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member hingedly connected to the second wall panel along a fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold line, the length of the first foldable member and the second foldable member as measured perpendicular to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greated than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

said inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second flange portion folded upwardly along the second wall panel, the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carton being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package.

2. For combination with an inner package of the type including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a 'body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the pouch, an improved carton for holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a second fold line at the opposite side from the first wall panel;

a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member hingedly connected to the second wall panel along a fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold line, the length of the first foldable member and the second foldable member as measured perpendicular to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greater than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

a side wall panel hinged to each end of the first and second wall panels along a fold line that is at an angle to the first and second fold lines and a bottom locking flap hinged to each side wall panel along a fold line that extends from the respective ends of the first and second fold lines, the bottom locking flaps n the side wall panels joined to the first wall panel being folded underneath the main wall panel and joined thereto to hold the first wall panel upright, and the bottom locking flaps on the side wall panels joined to the second wall panel being folded underneath the main panel and joined thereto to hold the second wall panel upright;

said inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second flange portion folded upwardly along the second wall panel, the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the com modify in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carbon being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package.

3. For combination with an inner package of the type including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the pouch, an improved carton for holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding Wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly con nected to the main panel along a second fold line at the opposite side from the first wall panel;

a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member hingedly connected to the second wall panel along a fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold line, the length of the first foldable member and the second foldable member as measured perpendicular to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greater than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

a side wall panel hinged to each end of the first and second wall panels along a fold line that is at an angle to the first and second fold lines and a bottom locking flap hinged to each side wall panel along a fold line that extends from the respective ends of the first and second fold lines, the bottom locking flaps on the side wall panels joined to the first wall panel being folded underneath the main wall panel and joined to each other to hold the first wall panel upright, and the bottom locking flaps on the side wall panels joined to the second wall panel being folded underneath the main panel and joined to each other to hold the second wall panel upright;

said inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second flange portion folded upwardly along the second wall panel. the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carton being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package.

4. For combination with an inner package of the type including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bot-tom of the pouch, an improved carton for holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a second fold line at the opposite side from the first wall panel;

a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first Wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member hingedly connected to the second wall panel along a fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold line, the length of the first foldable member and the second foldable member as measured perpendicular to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greater than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

side wall panels hingedly connected to the main panel along fold lines at an angle to the first and second fold lines and arranged to form corners with the first and second wall panels, interlocks at each such corner comprising a locking tongue hinged to one of said panels and a locking slit defined in the other and adapted to receive the locking tongue to retain the panels in an upright condition;

said inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second flange portion folded upwardly along the second wall panel, the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carton being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package.

5. For combination with an including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the pouch, an improved carton for holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a second fold line at the opposite side from the first wall panel;

a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member hingedly connected to the second wall panel along a fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold line, the length of the first foldable member and the second foldable member as measured perpendicular to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greater than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

side wall panels hinged to the main panel along fold lines that are at an angle to the first and second fold lines and arranged to form corners with the first and second wall panels, a locking flap hinged to a side wall panel at each corner of the carton along a fold line that extends from the respective ends of the first and second fold lines, said locking flaps being foldable to a position along the first and second wall panels for joinder thereto to hold the wall panels upright;

said inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second. flange portion inner package of the type 11 folded upwardly along the second wall panel, the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carton being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity second wall panels, a locking flap hinged to a side wall panel at each corner of the carton along a fold line that extends from the respective ends of the first and second fold lines, the locking flaps being foldable to a position along the first and second wall panels and there being two such flaps along each said panel for joinder to one another to hold the carton wall panels upright;

in the inner package. 6. For combination with an inner package of the type 10 including a pouch of flexible material enclosing a body of a commodity and having flange portions extending from at least two opposed sides thereof, said flange portions being located approximately halfway between the top and bottom of the pouch, an improved carton for 15 holding the inner package comprising:

a main panel, a first upstanding wall panel hingedly connected to the main panel along a first fold line, and a second upstanding wall panel hingedly consaid inner package being arranged on the main panel of the carton with one flange portion folded upwardly along the first wall panel and a second flange portion folded upwardly along the second Wall panel, the first foldable member of the carton being folded along the third fold line to be positioned between said one flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner package, and the second foldable member of the carton being folded about the fourth fold line to be positioned between said second flange portion and the body of the commodity in the inner ected to the main panel along a second fold line at 20 package. the opposite side from the first wall panel; References Cited a first foldable member hingedly connected to the first UNITED STATES PATENTS wall panel along a third fold line that is parallel to the first fold line and a second foldable member 2146984 2/1939 Powell, 229-35 hingedy connected to the second wall panel along a 25 2154083 4/1939 Bergstem 229*53 fourth fold line that is parallel to the second fold 2225810 12/1940 Waters 2O6 46 line, the length of the first foldable member and the g second foldable member as measured perpendicular 2,853,183 9/1958 Guyer 206-47 to the third and fourth fold lines respectively being no greater than approximately half the distance between the top and bottom of the pouch;

side Wall panels hinged to the main panel along fold lines that are at an angle to the first and second fold lines and arranged to form corners with the first and THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

W. T .DIXSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR COMBINATION WITH AN INNER PACKAGE OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A POUCH OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL ENCLOSING A BODY OF A COMMODITY AND HAVING FLANGE PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM AT LEAST TWO OPPOSED SIDES THEREOF, SAID FLANGE PORTIONS BEING LOCATED APPROXIMATELY HALFWAY BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE POUCH, AND IMPROVED CARTON FOR HOLDING THE INNER PACKAGE COMPRISING: A MAIN PANEL, A FIRST UPSTANDING WALL PANEL HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE MAIN PANEL ALONG A FIRST FOLD LINE, AND A SECOND UPSTANDING WALL PANEL HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE MAIN PANEL ALONG A SECOND FOLD LINE AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE FROM THE FIRST WALL PANEL; SAID CARTON ALSO INCLUDING SIDE WALL PANELS EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO THE FIRST AND SECOND WALL PANELS AND ARRANGED ALONG THE SIDES OF THE MAIN PANEL, THERE BEING AT LEAST ONE SIDE WALL PANEL ALONG EACH SIDE OF THE MAIN PANEL TO PROVIDE SIDE WALL PANEL PORTIONS ADJACENT EACH END OF THE FIRST AND SECOND WALL PANELS, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING EACH SUCH SIDE WALL PANEL PORTION IN AN UPSTANDING POSITION RELATIVE TO THE MAIN PANEL AND CONCURRENTLY SUPPORT THE FIRST AND SECOND WALL PANELS IN AN UPSTANDING POSITION RELATIVE TO THE MAIN PANEL; A FIRST FOLDABLE MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE FIRST WALL PANEL ALONG A THIRD FOLD LINE THAT IS PARALLEL TO THE FIRST FOLD LINE AND A SECOND FOLDABLE MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE SECOND WALL PANEL ALONG A FOURTH FOLD LINE THAT IS PARALLEL TO THE SECOND FOLD LINE, THE LENGTH OF THE FIRST FOLDABLE MEMBER AND THE SECOND FOLDABLE MEMBER AS MEASURED PERPENDICULAR TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH FOLD LINES RESPECTIVELY BEING NO GREATED THAN APPROXIMATELY HALF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE POUCH; SAID INNER PACKAGE BEING ARRANGED ON THE MAIN PANEL OF THE CARTON WITH ONE FLANGE PORTION FOLDED UPWARDLY ALONG THE FIRST WALL PANEL AND A SECOND FLANGE PORTION FOLDED UPWARDLY ALONG THE SECOND WALL PANEL, THE FIRST FOLDABLE MEMBER OF THE CARTON BEING FOLDED ALONG THE THIRD FOLD LINE TO BE POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID ONE FLANGE PORTION AND THE BODY OF THE COMMODITY IN THE INNER PACKAGE, AND THE SECOND FOLDABLE MEMBER OF THE CARTON BEING FOLDED ABOUT THE FOURTH FOLD LINE TO BE POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID SECOND FLANGE PORTION AND THE BODY OF THE COMMODITY IN THE INNER PACKAGE. 